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Monday, 21 January 2013

It's
become almost a custom to write pieces about Mark Selby's victories and what a
shock! Here's another one, this time about his magnificent performance of
dethroning defending champion Neil Robertson of keeping his Masters crown for
one more year.

The
scoreline says it all, 10-6. It was a pretty one-sided final, played on a very
calm note, no "Thunder" being heard although Robertson tried his best
to overcome the deficient of being led 5-3, then 8-3.Still,
in the end, it was Mark Selby, the player who didn’t have the most brilliant
performance throughout the tournament, but managed to channel all his energy on
the most important game: the grand final.

Many
of you remember the semi-final played against Graeme Dott and how painful it
was to watch it, the Scottish player himself declaring after the match that
Selby's game "bored him to death".

However,
on Sunday a new player emerged, a good night sleep surely doing the trick and
allowing the "Jester from Leicester"
to laugh in front of all of those who didn't give him enough credit.

Neil Robertson didn't manage to defend his crown

With
runs of 73, a brilliant 102 and an 84 we has launching into a journey that
would bring him the third Masters title of his career. All this time, on the opposite
corner, an out-of-sorts Robertson was trying to cope with the fact that he was
out of his form for no apparent reason, although, unlike his opponent, he had
one of the most exquisite performance during the entire competition.

The
first session ended with Selby in change of the situation at 5-3, though the
fact that the Australian capitalized the last of the remaining two frames was
bringing hope for the session to come.

Still,
the situation didn’t change much and just like that (aka. breaks of 67, 23, 24
and 41) Selby was moving two frames away from the victory line, at 8-3.

Not
many would have dared to try a comeback, but Neil did. And he almost got it.
Runs of 74, 83 and 26 were bringing the Aussie three frames in a row, and a bit
of confidence for more.

However,
it was a bit too late and Selby wasn't going to let all that hard work going to
waste. The last two frames were scrappy affairs, but the Englishman grabbed the
bull by its horns and ended the match at 10-6.

Selby and his lovely wife Vikki

An ecstatic
audience, that’s actually been there supporting the players all week long, was
up on its feet to congratulate the man who just entered an elite group of
players who won the Masters title more than two times: Hendry, O'Sullivan,
Hunter.

Getting
his third Masters trophy (after the ones conquered in 2008 and 2010), an overwhelmed
Selby got a huge hug and a big kiss from his wife Vikki, a presence that always
puts a smile on everyone's face.

So,
within a few weeks from winning the UK Championship and getting on board of the
victory ship in Germany
with the Munich Open, Selby does it again. Is this the start of a series of
victories that wants to conclude with the World Championship fancy trophy being
lifted at the Crucible in May?